The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has requested the federal government to include its members in the proposed palliatives aimed at alleviating the economic hardship caused by the removal of petrol subsidy. The government had earlier planned to provide N8,000 monthly to 12 million households, but due to criticisms about its sustainability, President Bola Tinubu ordered a review of the conditional cash transfer.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, NUP President Godwin Abumisi emphasized the importance of including pensioners in the palliatives, considering their vulnerability as low-income earners in the country. He stated that the removal of fuel subsidy has further impoverished pensioners, who are already struggling to survive.
Abumisi urged the government to involve and engage organized unions like NUP to achieve the objective of the cash transfer to the poor. He suggested that the unions would have records of their members, making it easier to ensure proper distribution and accountability.
Furthermore, Abumisi pointed out that pensioners are owed various liabilities, including the 2015 pension increment, which the union has been persistently advocating for. He called for the payment of outstanding pension reviews and adjustments as part of the proposed palliatives to improve the living conditions of pensioners.
The NUP also called on the federal government to review pensions alongside civil servants’ salary increases in the future. Additionally, they appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress to include NUP in negotiations for salary increases for workers in the country.
“The NUP wishes to categorically state and remind the federal government that pensioners must be included in the planned palliatives package, being one of the low-income earners in the country,” Abumisi said.
“There is no gainsaying that the removal of the fuel subsidy has further impoverished and pauperised the vulnerable Nigeria pensioners like other vulnerable group of persons in our society who are always struggling and battling for survival.
